MINIX showed the MINIX NEP Z64 back in September, but the new device was not available until today. MINIX is well known for its Android small form factor PCs such as the Minix Neo X8 H, however, the NEO Z64 is different because it is based on Intel’s Android Bay Trail 22nm silicon.

This mini-PC can run 64-bit Windows 8.1 or Android. Most devices ships with Android 4.4.4 out of the box and there is an option to install Windows 8.1. Some etailers will sell it with Windows 8.1 out of the box. The machine is powered by an Intel Z3735F 64-bit processor with 2MB of cache and a Turbo clock of 1.83GHz. It comes with Intel HD Graphics and supports Full HD 1080p playback. The Atom Z3735F has four cores and four treads, with a base clock of 1.33GHz and it has an SDP (Scenario Design Power) of 2.2W.

The MINIX NEO Z64 comes with 2GB DDR3L memory and 32GB of eMMC storage. If you crave more space, there is a microSD slot. It has HDMI 1.4 for video output, 10/100 Mbits LAN, headphone jack and a power DC IN on the rear.

The side hides the power button, microSD slot and two USB 2.0 slots. We know that you would want to see USB 3.0 there, but the chipset lacks USB 3.0 support. The Neo Z64 comes with an IR receiver and a remote. The machine has single band 802.11n wireless card and antenna.

Media centre fans will like the fact that MINIX NEO Z64 comes with support for XMBC.

Finally we come to the price. Back im September, company officials told Fudzilla that they plan to price the MINIX NEO Z64 at around $129, but first listings show the street price is a bit higher. The MINIX NEO Z64 is available on Geekbuying.com and it looks you can buy it with preinstalled Windows 8.1 for $174.9 here, and while Android version is cheaper and costs $144.9 here.

It looks like the Zotac PI320 Pico won't be the only cigarette pack sized Windows 8.1 PC.

Minix is well known for its Android small form factor PCs such as this Minix Neo X8 H and it looks like the company is entering the x86 space with a mini PC based on Intel’s Android Bay Trail 22nm silicon called MINIX NEO Z64.

The MINIX NEO Z64 is a 64-bit Android or Windows 8.1 PC. It ships with Android 4.4.4 out of the box and there is an option to install Windows 8.1 on it. The machine is powered by an Intel Z3735F 64-bit processor with 2 MB of cache and turbo clock of 1.83GHz. It comes with Intel HD graphics and supports full HD 1080p playback. The Atom Z3735F has four cores and four treads with a base clock of 1.33GHz and it has an SDP (Scenario Design Power) of 2.2W. Intel doesn’t want to mention the real TDP of this processor, but it is certainly rather low and fits the small form factor PC. Intel sells this CPU for 17 USD apiece.

MINIX NEO Z64 comes with 2GB DDR3L memory and 32GB of eMMC storage. If you crave more space there is a microSD slot. It has HDMI 1.4 for video output, 10/100 Mbits LAN, headphone jack and a power DC IN on the rear.

The side hides the power button, microSD slot and two USB 2.0 slots. We know that you would want to see USB 3.0 there, but the chip lacks USB 3.0 support. The Neo Z64 comes with an IR receiver and a remote. The machine has a single band 802.11n wireless card and antenna.

Media centre lovers will like the fact that MINIX NEO Z64 comes with support for XMBC. The best part is the price. Company officials told Fudzilla that they plan to price the MINIX NEO Z64 at around $129 which is certainly less than the price Zotac will ask for its new Pico. The machine should launch in the coming weeks and we hope to test one for you rather soon.

Computing is getting more and more affordable and MINIX NEO Z64 seems to be on the right track.

The Minix Neo X8 H is the latest Android box from MINIX and comes with support for 4K2K UHD Video Decoding and Output. This entails a lot of processing speed, courtesy of Amlogic's quad-core S802-H SoC. The chip is based on the Cortex A9r4 and it boasts octa-core Mali-450 graphics. The old Neo X7 had just four GPU cores. The device has 2GB of RAM at its disposal and as a result Android 4.4 KitKat runs smoothly. Video playback is not an issue, either, as the GPU is powerful enough to deal with all mainstream codecs. On the aesthetic front, the new X8 look and old Neo X7 look almost identical, but that is not a bad thing as Minix users seem to like the look. Currently the Neo X8 H is priced at about 140 euro.

The dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11n antenna can be removed if it is not necessary, or it can be lowered to one side.

There are two versions of the Neo X8. The version with the H suffix comes with 16GB of eMMS storage instead of 8GB on non-H version. The H in the name also denotes full Dolby Digital and DTS Neo support. Storage can be expanded with a memory card and we can report that a 128GB UHS Class 3 card works just fine with the new Neo. New beta 4. firmware for the NEO X8-H has just been released, and it improves eMMC read/write performance. Change log also includes: 1.) Enabled NFS protocol; 2.) Fixed "App Market" problem of MINIX Metro launcher; 3.) Enabled support for Logitech HID devices; 4.) Added PS3 game controller support; You can download it here. Whilst previous MINIX Media Hubs have offered NAND Flash, the NEO X8 / NEO X8 H utilize eMMC "embedded Multi-Media Controller' memory. The utilization of eMMC memory offers an array of benefits in terms of performance, security and reliability, ultimately delivering a richer end-user experience.

On one side of the Neo X8 H you will find the recover button, HDMI out, Optical Audio, two USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet port and power plug.

The other side of the device features the power button, headphone jack, microphone jack, USB 2.0 port, full size SD card port (supports 128GB UHS-I and OTG port.

The bottom has nice rubber feet that will keep it from sliding from the table.

The UI looks good and it is responsive. There is a standard Android launcher and the Minix Metro launcher. The main goal with designing the Metro UI was to create interface that allows the user to run an app with as few steps as possible. On the main screen the Metro launcher displays the Media Center XMBC icon.

The XMBC version is customized (based on version 13.1 of Project Gotham) and it is ready for 4K video playback. We gave it a go and it works like a charm. We will take a closer look in our full review. Metro allows easy navigation by moving up/down/left/right and for this simple navigation included IR remote is sufficient. Users familiar with the Neo X7 know that the included IR remote does not come with air-mouse function or keyboard.

As a separate purchase you can get new NEO M1 remote which has very nice haptic feedback and more functions compared to bundled IR remote. It comes with gyro mouse function plus it has all Android function buttons. It uses a 6-axis gyroscope and accelerometer for better accuracy and it works well from a distance up to 10 meters. For a limited time you will get the M1 free of charge with the Neo X8. The built-in rechargeable battery will last for several days of extensive use, but you can recharge it very fast (some 20 minutes) using a standard mini-USB cable. Also there is On/Off switch next to the micro-USB port. Unfortunately there is no integrated keyboard in the Neo M1 remote controller.

The Minix Neo X8 H scores 24100 in Antutu at 1080p resolution, which is not bad. Stay tuned for our full review of the Minix Neo 8.

Minix is trying to improve its relations with the Android developer community with an interesting developer challenge designed to benefit the company and innovative developers.

The company is offering three prizes for user interface design. The winning developer will win $5,000, while the runners up will get $2,000 and $1,000. Those who vote will be entered in a separate giveaway and they have a chance to win one of five Neo X7 mini Android mini PCs.

Our readers should be familiar with Minix products and the developers will have to come up with U.I solutions for the Neo X7, X7 mini, Neo 5, X5mini ili G4. We tried out the X7 and we were impressed by its capabilities, although we can’t say the same for the simple mini I.R remote.

In fact, due to limited functionality the mini I.R remote works good only in combination with a special U.I interface. In other words the goal is to develop a user interface that will be embraced by regular users, but ease of use is just one of the criteria.

Minix launched the Neo series a couple of years ago and these mini Android computers are usually used as media hubs or HTPC solutions. Minix has nothing against users who decide to flash their ROMs and the company also rolls out regular software updates of its own. The Minix forum community is a lively one and plenty of custom ROMs are available online.

For all you Minix developers, it’s time to show the community what you can do with your device.

The UI designs will be judged on the following criteria:

- Ease of Navigation (using only the simple MINIX I.R remote)

- Functionality / ‘User Friendliness’

- Aesthetics / Appearance

- Degree of Innovation / Creativity

Applications must be submitted on the Minix Forums by Sunday 9th February (11.59PM G.M.T). Applicants are permitted to submit only 1 entry. Minix will announce the five finalists on Friday 14th February, and the winner will be voted for by members of the Minix Forum. Voting will close on Friday 28th February (11.59PM G.M.T), with the winners announced shortly afterwards.

The Android mini PC market has been booming for quite some time, and if you want to make a smart TV out of your dumb TV, a cheap Android mini PC is a good way to do it. Following the success of the X5, Minix has launched a quad-core successor powered by Rockchip RK3188. This chip comes with four A9 28nm cores clocked at 1.6GHz and Mali 400MP graphics.

The Minix Neo X7 is already on sale and Amazon.com has it listed with shipping date for August 31st while some other retailers already sell the new Neo. Amazon sells it for $149 while we found Geekbuying selling them for $138 with free shipping. You can get one here, with shipping 3 to 7 days from order.

The device looks like a decent extension for your TV and it will play 1080p from just about anything consuming only a few watts.